Homes, sweet homes

Tuesday

Sep 11, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 11, 2012 at 11:15 AM

Even though the words “There’s no place like home” conjure up images of Kansas, a more regional vision of “home” will be on display during the 2012 Ferguson Greater Boston Home Tour the last two weekends of September.

Described as the region’s largest multi-site tour of show homes throughout Greater Boston, the event will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22-23 and 29-30. The two homes that are remodels are open only the second of the two weekends.

Beth Doyle

Even though the words “There’s no place like home” conjure up images of Kansas, a more regional vision of “home” will be on display during the 2012 Ferguson Greater Boston Home Tour the last two weekends of September.

Described as the region’s largest multi-site tour of show homes throughout Greater Boston, the event will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22-23 and 29-30. The two homes that are remodels are open only the second of the two weekends.

The 12 projects on the home tour will demonstrate the latest in design, technology and architectural concepts in residential construction, and will include a mix of new construction and remodeling, according to Sue Abt, the executive officer of the Builders Association of Greater Boston, which is coordinating the event.

“This is the second annual event that BAGB has coordinated,” Abt said. “We started this last year to basically brand our members and our association in the minds of consumers to understand who we are; that we are a resource to them to find quality builders and any other subcontractors, such as for windows, landscaping, appliances, flooring, etc. Anything that goes into your home, we have a contact for that, as well.”

The homes on the tour range from single-family homes, apartments and condos to 55-plus living options, according to Jim Ingram, one of the two co-chairmen of the home tour and district sales manager at HADCO New England.

“We’re not limiting our home tour to those who are currently in the market for a new house,” he said. “It’s a great place to get ideas if people are thinking of remodeling. And, obviously, for those interested in buying a new home, it’s a better deal.”

There is no obligation for people visiting the homes, he said.

“They can go to one home, they can go to all the homes,” Ingram said. “They get to vote on their favorite. The People’s Choice award is not necessarily the most expensive or the largest – it’s the one they like best.”

The more houses they see, the fairer the vote will be, Ingram noted, hoping attendees will visit as many homes as possible.

“I think the home tour is a great opportunity for people to get out and see real, actual and current trends,” Paul Sullivan, co-chairman of this year’s home tour committee, said. “Not just to see what’s in magazines, but to see what people are putting into their homes this year.

“The other really great thing about the tour is it gives people the opportunity to see a builder’s or remodeler’s work up close and personal rather than just a photo in a magazine or in an advertisement,” he said.

Tickets

Visitors will be provided with a “passport” that allows them to tour as many homes as they choose during the event’s double weekend run. Tickets have a $10 value but you can go online and register to receive them for free, or they can be picked up at all Ferguson showrooms. Visit www.greaterbostonhometour.com and click on the “purchase tickets” graphic for additional information.

Remodels

Sullivan, a remodeler who won the People’s Choice award during last year’s tour, completed the remodel of a three-bedroom, three-bathroom townhome condominium in Charlestown that is part of this year’s tour.

The townhome features some unexpected surprises.

“Our show home this year has a black kitchen,” Sullivan said, adding that the general trend is away from white kitchens. “It has some highlights painted in. In this space we were trying to have something that would really be eye-catching but something that would not compete with the original 1860 mahogany woodwork throughout the unit.”

In the kitchen, commercial appliances are an ongoing trend, Sullivan explained.

“We’re seeing more induction cooking,” he said. “It comes on instantly, has the control you have with gas and when it’s turned off, you can put your hand on the cooktop. It’s the wave of the future.”

Along with a view to the future Sullivan is also seeing regard for the past.

“Another thing I’m happy to see more of, is clients having sensitivity to the original building,” he said, describing that French doors in the master bedroom open to two balconies overlooking a garden.

“The metalworker built Juliet balconies that were crafted to match the original wrought-iron metalwork on the building. They’re gorgeous,” Sullivan said.

The other home that has been remodeled and is open only the final weekend of the tour is in Westwood. A 10,000-square-foot total remodel, the first floor and outside are complete for viewing this year while the second floor will be on display during next year’s tour, Abt said.

South Weymouth

Four of the properties on the home tour are in sub-neighborhoods within Southfield Highlands in South Weymouth, which is being developed on 1,400 acres of land previously occupied by the South Weymouth Naval Air Station. Of the total, 1,000 acres will be conservation land – preserved as natural green space or recreation – while only 400 acres will be developed, according to Tricia Bruno, marketing director of LNR Property Corp., which is developing the property.

“The idea was to include all four of our options because they appeal to various demographics,” Bruno said.

In The Meadows, built by IBG Development, visitors can tour The Oakley, a 2,067-square-foot courtyard townhome, which is one of 13 different plans being offered in this neighborhood. According to Bruno, one of the highlights is the outdoor private courtyard, which provides expanded outdoor living space.

Another model home, one of the 10 single-family and townhome plans being offered by Whitman Homes, is in Parkview Village. Called The Glenhurst, this single-family home features 1,830 square feet of living space, and includes a patio, a great room, a master suite and a study.

“It also has a charming front porch,” Bruno added.

In both the Parkview Village and The Meadows developments, the homes range from about 1,300 square feet to 2,300 square feet. Both of the model homes, across the street from one another, are adjacent to Southfield Highlands Park, which Bruno described as “a postcard-perfect, highly landscaped linear park, with large stainless-steel sculptures of stainless steel and stone.”

“It’s worth a trip just to see the park,” Bruno said.

Southfield Highlands is very pedestrian friendly, Bruno said, and all the homes will be within walking distance of the village center and all the amenities, like the golf course.

There is an on-site MBTA station, too.

“It’s an eight-minute walk from the MBTA South Weymouth Station to these homes,” Bruno said.

A third location on the tour is in The Commons at Southfield Highlands, which provides eco-friendly, luxury apartment living. Highly popular, according to Bruno, the developer is John M. Corcoran and Company.

According to Bruno, The Commons is 100 percent smoke-free and pet-friendly, and it has a fitness center, a saltwater pool, a clubroom, a game room, covered garage parking and chef-caliber kitchens.

“They’re really beautiful kitchens,” Bruno said.

Another tour destination called Fairing Way, a Rice Eventide/Rogerson Communities project, is a 55-plus community that’s in the planning stages. Visitors can view plans at the marketing center and learn about the project, which will offer à la carte services, Bruno said. “That’s what separates Fairing Way from other 55-plus communities. You can sign up for what you want,” she said.

“They are gorgeous – gorgeously designed,” Bruno said of all the properties on the home tour. “They each have their own interior designers do their spaces. Each one is different. It’s worth it just to come and see the floor layout and what you can do with a modest floor plan. People say, ‘I can easily do this – easily.’”

Stoneham

Located on a 20-acre wooded campus previously belonging to the former Nazareth Academy, a home in The Stabile Company’s Wincrest development is also on the tour. Wincrest will include 47 homes, half on the Stoneham side and half on the Wakefield side, according to Kelly Parent, sales and marketing manager with the Collaborative Companies, which is marketing the project.

“Some of the homes have a first-floor master,” Parent said, adding that one floor plan features one-level living. The master suites feature walk-in closets and master baths.

The model at 47 Winship Drive is beautifully staged with numerous upgrades throughout, Parent said. It has a sunroom, built-ins, extensive woodwork and moldings, and a finished lower level with a bathroom.

Builders Association of Greater Boston

According to its website, BAGB serves both the construction industry – builders, remodeling contractors, carpenters, subcontractors or any trade professionals – by helping their business expand, as well as homeowners and new home buyers, by putting them in touch with the best home building and remodeling businesses in Greater Boston.

“We go through a very extensive vetting process to admit members into the association,” Abt said. “They have to be sponsored by someone in the association and have to be approved by a board of directors. We have a code of ethics that they’re required to follow.”